Radboudumc Technology Center Radboud Biobank

Expertise and services

Key benefits for customer

• Easy access to biomaterial of well documented patients
• Standards for biomaterial and associated data; evidence-based and (inter)nationally aligned

Areas of expertise

• The realization of biobank collections and storage, and the management of biomaterial from research projects
• Quality assurance at all levels (e.g. storage of clinical data, biomaterials, ICT, ELSI, logistics and procedures for delivery)
• Standardized and harmonized collection, storage, and management of biomaterials

Services

• Offers researchers who want to start a collection a step-by-step guide including links to necessary documents
• Delivers high quality samples (DNA, serum, plasma, urine, tissue) of well documented patients to investigators worldwide with a sound research proposal

Secondary use of human biomaterial

Radboud Biobank

At the request of Radboudumc's Board of Directors, the Radboud Biobank is responsible for the implementation of the Dutch Code of Conduct for Health Reserach within the Radboudumc.

• Employees can read about secondary use of human biomaterial in Dutch and in English.
• Patients can read about secondary use of human biomaterial in Dutch, English and German.

Patients an integral role

Without the trust and participation of patients, it is impossible to establish a good collection. The patient provides personal information and biomaterial. With this donation, she/he contributes to the biobank, which makes new scientific research possible about the condition with which the patient is diagnosed. Although this knowledge may come too late to help this individual patient, her/his donation contributes to the development of diagnostics, new successful treatments, better prognosis and more effective prevention strategies for others in the near future.

About the Radboud Biobank and patients

The patient has a permanent voice

The patient receives a permanent, authoritative voice in the Radboud Biobank. The chairperson of the Advisory Council, a prominent role on the council, has been reserved for a patient representative. Moreover, disease-specific foundations and societies continued to be involved in departmental research to provide a non-academic perspective.  There are also plans for an internet portal for donors to the Radboud Biobank and a patient representative is also a member of in the medical-ethical review board (CMO).

Click here for more information for patients (in Dutch).

Frequently Asked Questions

Radboud Biobank FAQs

• Do I have to pay for my own samples now?

  Obtaining samples: all costs are covered by the department
  Radboud Biobank: all costs listed below are covered by the Radboud Biobank
   

  General costs:	Supervision of collection process, organization and maintenance of IT services,  accountability (general, ethical and financial), quality assurance;
  Logistics:	Tubs selection, write and maintain SOPs for handling of monsters, isolation of DNA/RNA, tissue embedding;
  Preparation:	Isolation of DNA/RNA and cells, division into aliquots, tissue selection and embedding, organizing purchase or sharing of apparatus and maintenance thereof
  Storage:	Purchase of freezers, boxes and tubes including  back-up services, monitoring system, calibration, printers, stickers, rent of location and energy costs. In the long term an automated storage system;
  Maintenance:	Maintaining storage system, defrosting freezers;
  Registration:	Purchasing biobank management system;
  Issuance:	procedure for withdrawal of informed consent;

• How can I apply for use of my biomaterial from the biobank?

  Each project using samples from the biobank has to be approved by the CMO-light. In general the CMO-light review takes 2 – 3 weeks.

• Does everyone and anyone have access to my samples?

  To prevent biomaterial and data being delivered to those wishing to use it for other purposes than relevant and well-grounded research the following conditions apply:

  • The application should be made by (or together with) a researcher employed by the Radboudumc from the department that initiated the sub-biobank (Radboudumc colleague cosigns the application and transfer agreement(s) and is responsible for compliance to the contractual provisions);
  • The CMO-light reviews each application on quality and ethical-legal aspects;
  • The head of the sub-biobank is in agreement with the issuance.

• What happens to the biomaterial and data that I collect if it doesn’t get used for research?

  The collected biomaterial and data maintain their value for future research and shall be stored and kept indefinitely.

• Can biomaterial from the Radboud Biobank be used by commercial partners?

  Radboud Biobank and the CMO-light are open to all forms of collaboration with external partners. This is also valid for collaboration between commercial partners and Radboudumc researchers as long as it serves medical-scientific development and innovation. Biomaterial from the Radboud Biobank is issued to external partners under the conditions of a standard Material Transfer Agreement. Biomaterial from the Radboud Biobank will not be used for the production of commercial products.

Useful links and information

• Internal Biobank partners

  • Parelsnoer Biobanken
  • AGORA
  • NBS
  • PRISMA
  • HECOVAN
  • Human Functional Genomics
  • IJzercentrum
  • Verily Personalized Parkinson’s Project

• External Biobank partners

  • LifeLines
  • Biobank MUMC
  • Biobank UMCU
  • Biobank VUMC
  • ESBB
  • BBMRI-NL
  • Health-RI
  • BBMRI-ERIC
  • ISBER
  • P3G

• Public

  • Biobanken.nl
  • Biobanken.org

• Other

  • Radboud Technology centers
  • Laboratoriumgeneeskunde
  • Centrum voor Oncologie
  • Genoomdiagnostiek
  • COREON
  • Proeven met mensen (coming soon)
  • HEVAS
  • VSOP